cables

A new paper by Chen et al.: Experimental research on bending performance of structural cable. In: Construction and Building Materials, 15 October 2015, Vol. 96, pp. 279-288. Equivalent bending stiffness has been obtained applying a force at midspan of simply supported, about one meter long, specimens. A number of tensile force levels have been applied (including zero). Non-linear force-deflection curves are shown.

Single strand cable bending, stick-slip, analytical models require that a choice be made between two contact modes between adjacent wires: either radial (between layers) or lateral (between same layer wires). In most recent models (e.g. Papailiou’s) radial contact is selected. A “lateral contact” model has been presented by Panetti in 1944 and can be found in the proceedings of the Turin Royal Academy of Science. A translated version from Italian is proposed in the attached file.

With the availability of different brands and grades of cables in the market, it can be pretty challenging to narrow down the options to a few good ones. As with several other things related to wires, a high price tag or big brand name doesn’t actually help in making the right selection. Instead, one has to look out for particular characteristics and specifications for picking the right cable.

Some 2014 papers on the mechanics of helical strands: cables and electrical conductors